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Commission calls for online gambling safeguards

Online gambling sites should require all users to register their identity and age, and should raise the alarm if they see signs of compulsive behaviour, according to a recommendation adopted by the European Commission today (14 July).

The Commission also wants gambling websites to carry clear warnings about the risks associated with gambling, and warned of the dangers of irresponsible advertising. Member states should also ensure that help exists for people with gambling problems.

The recommendation is not binding on EU member states, but sets out a number of principles that countries are encouraged to follow. The Commission will review how the recommendations have been applied at the end of 2016.

Around seven million EU citizens gamble online. The Commission estimates that between 0.1%-0.8% of the adult population has a gambling problem.

Maarten Haijer, secretary-general of the European Gaming and Betting Association, said that the industry welcomed the Commission’s initiative: “The more common principles, the easier it is for us to provide services and for consumers to be protected.” But he urged the Commission to go further in addressing the “fragmentation” of the EU market for online gambling.

Michel Barnier, the European commissioner for the internal market and services, said that member states and gambling operators “must better protect all citizens, and in particular our children, from the risks associated with gambling”.

The Commission has received numerous complaints from gambling companies about national rules within the European Union that prevent a single market for online gambling from emerging.

The Commission has issued a warning to Sweden that its rules may breach EU freedom of movement rules and is also investigating legislation in Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. It published an action plan on online gambling in 2012.

The recommendation comes at a time when many EU member states are reforming their rules on gambling.